Metallic fence post



(No Model.)

J. F. RHODES.

METALLIG FENCE POST.

Patented Jun 30,1896.

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UNITED STATES PATENT ()FEICE.

JOHN F. RHODES, OF BLOOMINGTON, ILLINOIS.

M ETALLIC FENCE- POST.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 562,976, dated June 30, 1896.

Application filed February 17, 1896. Serial No. 579,567. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, JOHN F. RHODES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bloomington, in the county of McLean and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and usef ul Improvements in Metallic Fence-Posts, of which the following is a specification.

My present invention relates to metallic fence-posts; and the invention consists in the peculiar construction of the post and the.

clamping plate or bar to be used inconnection therewith, ashereinafter more fully set forth.

Figure 1 is a perspective elevation of the post and of the plate detached. Fig. 2 is a perspective elevation of the post with plate and wires attached,and Fig.3 is a similar view looking from the opposite side.

Many eiforts have heretofore been made to produce metallic fence-posts, but for various reasons such posts have not come into general use.

The object of my present invention is to produce a post especially adapted for the various styles of wire fences, that shall be effective, cheap, and durable.

In the accompanying drawings, A indicates the post proper, which is preferably made of cast-iron. In cross-section it is of T form, the front face I) being fiat, with a rib a, proj ecting from its opposite face in order to give it the necessary strength with a minimum amount of metal. As shown in the several figures, it tapers gradually from the point D at the surface of the ground, when set, as indicated in Fig. 3, to the top. At its lower end it terminates in a horizontal plate B, the whole being cast integral.

Through the face or body portion b of the post three or more holes are made, as shown in Fig. 1, and at the point where these holes terminate a rectangular recess or openinge' is formed in the inner edge of the web a, as shown in Fig. 2, for the purpose of receiving and holding the nuts into which the bolts used to secure the clamping-plate O screw. These holes 0 and the recesses 11 are made by cores when the post is cast, thereby saving the time and expense of drilling and cutting them afterward.

Having thus constructed the post, I then provide a' clamping plate or bar 0 which may also be cast complete, it being formed with holes a, corresponding with those in the post, and with a series of transverse grooves h of the proper size to receive and hold the wires 10, of which the fence is formed, these latter being either plain, twisted, or barbed wires, as may be preferred.

It will be observed by examining Fig. 1 that the grooves h on the lower portion are much closer than on the upper portion, the object being to enable a person to build a fence with the wires near enough together at the bottom to prevent hogs or other small animals from getting through. when fencing against cattle and horses alone, the wires in these lower grooves may be omitted in whole or in part.

It is obvious that the plate or bar C may be provided with any number of grooves, and they may be arranged closer together or farther apart, to suit any and all conditions, thus enabling the farmer or person using these posts to build a fence with more or less wires, as he may desire. Where stock-raising is the object, a few wires only are required, but on farms Where sheep, hogs, and other small animals are also kept, it is necessary to use more wires and to have them closer together, and this construction adapts the post to all these varying conditions.

In use, the post is first set in the ground by digging or boring a hole large enough to admit the base-plate B, which, after the hole is filled and the earth well rammed, serves to prevent the post from being lifted by the frost, which is a serious difficulty with posts which are smaller at their lower ends and are driven into the ground. The wires are then placed in position, the clamping plate orbar O placed against the post with the wires in the proper grooves, the nuts '11. inserted in the recesses i, and the bolts Zpassed through the holes in the plate and post and screwed tight into the nuts n, which are held from turning by the walls of the recess or hole in the web, into which they are shoved sidewise.

If at any time it is desired to change the fence, it is only necessary to take out the bolts and either insert more Wires or remove some of those already in, as the case may be, then replace the clamping-bar and bolts. By these means I am enabled to produce a fence-post that is cheap to construct, that is eflicient and durable, and that is adapted to all the varying wants of stock-growers and farmers.

It is obvious that the grooves may be made in the face of the post A instead of in the face of the clamping-plate C and operate the same; but it is better to make them in the plate, because if made in the post they would weaken the latter and cause it to be more easily broken, and as the post has to stand all the strain, not only of the wires,'but also of cattle pressing against them, it is necessary that they be made with the necessary strength, and at the same time with the minimum amount of metal necessary to secure the requisite strength. For these reasons I prefer to make the grooves in the plate, as shown.

Having thus described my invention,what I claim is 1. As a new article of manufacture, a me tallic fence-post consisting of the body A having the base-plate B, holes a and recess 1', and the clamping-plate C provided with corresponding holes 0 and transverse grooves h,

verse grooves h, all constructed and arranged substantially as shown and described.

In witness whereof I hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

JOHN F. RHODES.

Vitnesses:

CHAS. E. HILL, FREDERIC W. DOOLEY. 

